COVID-19 is an infectious disease which is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus epidemic. The majority of people who contracted the virus infection will tend to go through mild to moderate symptoms and then recover without special treatment.
Today, the deadly outbreak disrupted the lives of people, be it health-wise or economically. The battle is not over yet because people are waiting for a vaccine that could defeat the coronavirus.
World Health Organisation also added that the whole world has to be prepared for the next pandemic. “We’ve seen this past year that countries with robust health emergency preparedness infrastructure have been able to act quickly to contain and control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
WHO also plans to come up with a perfect resolution for strengthening nations and their readiness to quickly respond to coronavirus pandemic outbreaks like the novel coronavirus. The total global coronavirus cases stand at 164.6 million and 3.41 million deaths.
The worst-affected country is the US with the highest number of cases followed by India with 25,496,330 cases. Brazil stands third on the list with 15,812,055 cases. While India is fighting the second wave, some nations have already won the battle against the epidemic while some are on the brink of winning the war.
Let’s take a look at the list of countries that successfully defeated the pandemic and are now mask-free.
1. Israel
In case you didn’t know, Israel was the first nation to remove the compulsory face mark rule. The country declared itself COVID-free in April. It is to be noted that 70% of the country’s population has been vaccinated.
The country reported zero COVID-19 cases since April 24 as the lockdown measures clamped down the virus infection. Israel registered 8,39,000 coronavirus cases and 6,392 deaths.
2. USA
The USA might be the worst-affected country as it is still fighting the coronavirus pandemic but has removed the mandatory face mask rule for netizens who are vaccinated. The ones who administered both the vaccine shots will no longer need to wear a face mask outdoors. This includes running, walking, and small gatherings.
However, it is still necessary for crowded gatherings like sporting events. So far, the country registered as many as 3.3 crore COVID-19 cases and 5.87 lakh cases.
3. China
The country where the coronavirus pandemic started is now a mask-free country. It is to be noted that China was one of the worst-affected nations.
However, the government stopped the worst situation by imposing lockdowns. The country reported 90,908 COVID-19 cases and 4,636 deaths.
4. Iceland
Iceland is home to fewer than half a million netizens. It is a remote island located in the North Atlantic. It also became the first country in Europe to get rid of novel coronavirus pandemic.
5. New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern claimed that country had comprehensively won a massive battle over the spread of coronavirus epidemic. She gave an official announcement when New Zealand started to exit from its nationwide lockdown.
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern who is serving as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand since 26 October 2017 confirmed in a statement that there is no longer any undetected community transmission of the coronavirus epidemic.
New Zealand PM received praises from every nook and corner of the world for its instant response to the pandemic. Thus the country became a COVID and mask free nation and that too in a quick span of time. So far, the country reported only 2,658 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths.
6. Bhutan
India and Bhutan have a strong historical, cultural, and economic relationship. Although Bhutan shares its borders with India and China, Bhutan was really hit by the coronavirus pandemic. It is fair to say that Bhutan is one of the fastest countries to vaccinate, as it vaccinated 90% of its population in just 2 weeks.
Bhutan is also one of the first nations to be declared mask-free and COVID-free without even going under an actual lockdown. Located on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, Bhutan reported 1,309 COVID-19 cases and just 1 death.